Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 273 040 Slave owners also advocated the abolition of slavery

Speaking of which, whether it is Mr. Carroll, his son-in-law Mr. Carton, or Mr. Patterson, although they were all British in the past and are now Americans, they are more particular about the French way of life.

No wonder wealthy Americans always wish they could be more European rather than American country bumpkins.

"Mr. Carol, you speak excellent French. You sound like a Parisian."

"I went to church school in Bruges, then to the Lycée Louis the Great, and then to London to study law."

"Studying law always involves becoming familiar with the letter of the law, Mr. Carroll."

When Solovyov spoke, he also had to consider the fact that the other person was more than 40 years older than him, and he always had to remain respectful at such times.

"Yes, whether it is case law or statutory law, you need to be familiar with the provisions."

“But economics and politics”

"Those people don't have to understand political science, especially in the current bad political environment, if everything has to be passed by vote, it will be very unstable. Some regulations should be passed directly by the executive branch, not the parliament."

"What do you mean?"

"What I want to talk about is slavery. This kind of system should not be discussed, but should be abolished directly. Young man, I can read from your expression that you are surprised, but you also agree."

In fact, although these respectable people with high social status in Baltimore each inherited some estates, they themselves did not seem to agree with slavery.

Even Mr. Carroll, who routinely introduces such bills in the Maryland Senate, has maintained this attitude both when he was a state senator and when he served in various associations.

"Because I used the Emperor's decree and my father freed the serfs, but they did not leave our estate."

"This is a neat and beautiful way to do it, but it's a pity that we need a lengthy discussion here, and there is no one to discuss this. The number of slaves on my own plantation is the largest, but I often submit bills to gradually abolish slavery. Whether it is to restore the freedom of black slaves to their hometowns, or to make them free people in the United States, there must always be a place for them to go. Everyone should know that slavery itself is full of sins."

When he said this, Solovyov applauded the former senator, the richest man in Maryland.

"You are right, but I can imagine that this kind of bill is not easy to pass. If it is repealed immediately, it would seem too radical, and some people would not agree to repeal it gradually."

"That's true. Your St. Petersburg is too far away from the United States, but at least your emperor has realized the problem."

"But the resistance is the same. Even my own friends are supporters of the serfdom system. This wrangling will last a long time. In the United States, it's a meeting, but in Russia it may be even more troublesome. As for you, why don't you just free the slaves?"

Mr. Carroll was also quite helpless. He could only say: "In the United States, if there is no legislation for some things, you may get into trouble if you do them first. In other words, someone will sue you. There are too many lawyers here, and I realized this problem when I was studying law in London."

Considering that Mr. Carroll was an Irish-American and a Catholic, he could not hold public office during the British colonial period. After the independence of the United States, even though he was one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence and lived to see the 50th anniversary of the signing of the declaration, he was never able to get out of trouble throughout his life.

"If there are too many lawyers, there will be all kinds of lawyers, which sounds scary, especially in the field of maritime law."

"That's it, young man. You still have a lot to learn."

"Yes, Mr. Carroll."

"Charles, I actually agree with you, but those congressmen have been arguing for too long. In this case, I will make a will now. If I go to God one day, the slaves in my estate will be free when they reach the age of 30."

"That's all right, Bill. But you're still very young, at least compared to me. A will can certainly be finalized very early, but changes and revisions are necessary in the meantime."

"That's the same. Our solution to the problem is nothing more than a will."

"But if you live long enough to be 70, 80 or even 90 years old, I think slavery may have been abolished before this will takes effect."

"That's a good thing. My son-in-law doesn't have to worry about this problem. He is a cotton merchant and lives in the city to do business."

"So did I, except that Jerome, when I was in Paris as a military attaché at the embassy, ​​I had the pleasure of meeting your brother."

Speaking of which, this made Jerome a little embarrassed. Napoleon's advocacy of restoring slavery in the West Indies was somewhat a step backward in history.

His words embarrassed Jerome, but made Mr. Patterson feel a little proud.

After all, a little bastard who had only been here from France for a few months kidnapped his precious daughter.

Even more terrifying was that Elizabeth told him that if he did not agree to the marriage, she would choose to elope with Jerome.

So he had to succumb to his daughter's opinion and let them get married in Baltimore.

The son-in-law could not satisfy his father-in-law, but the new Russian acquaintance made Jerome a little embarrassed.

"Mike, did you meet that distinguished general in Paris?"

"It was at a reception attended by ambassadors from all over the world. I went with our ambassador, Count Morkov. Actually, he is not as short as the British say. This is obviously a slanderous propaganda. The British directly use their feet instead of the French ruler, which is a substitution of concepts. The First Consul should be about the same height as me, isn't it, Jerome?"

Jerome just thought that this handsome Russian was too familiar, and he never imagined that he was one of his second sister's boyfriends, and that they were relatives.

Solovyov promised Polina that their affairs must be kept secret, but his tone inevitably changed when he learned about the relationship between Josephine and his stepmother in Martinique.

"That's true. The British newspapers always tell lies and even made up a story that my sister-in-law was also beheaded. The fact is that my brother hopes that my sister-in-law can have a name that belongs to him, just like Elisa and I, our newlywed wives, when we get married for the first time."

"You do call it that now, Jerome."

"But what about you, Lieutenant Colonel? Are you married?"

“I’m not married.”

“You should try to love a woman, then”

Jerome was somewhat indifferent to the occasion when he spoke, and after Elizabeth Patterson coughed, he realized that it was a bit inappropriate. "This is a family gathering, and you are trying to persuade a new friend to get married."

"In Italy and France, many people are like this. I've lived in Paris for a long time and I can understand it. When my stepmother was looking for a fiancée for me in St. Petersburg, it was a little funny to say that she was always one step behind others."

"It's rare to be able to maintain a good relationship with my stepmother."

"Yes, Mr. Carol. In fact, we Russians don't have so many requirements in this regard. I am also responsible for sending my sisters to the noble girls' school in Smolny Palace when they are of appropriate age. Because I am an active soldier, if I act as a guardian, they can study at public expense."

"Girls' education is indeed crucial. You have performed well as a brother. I can imagine that your family is very harmonious."

"Mr. Carol, I am the eldest son in the family. Even my sister, Julia, who has the same mother as me, is 10 years younger than me. If I were older, I would be a generation older than them. What's more, my stepmother gave birth to my younger brother, Anton, and it was me who helped the doctor and midwife bring him into this world at home."

And he did this more than once
Later at the dinner table, they spent more time talking about what happened in Baltimore.

However, the two largest slave owners in Baltimore both supported the abolition of slavery. This kind of thing would be somewhat surprising if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes.

Solovyov also noticed that Jerome and his wife had a pretty good relationship, and if they wanted to divorce, it would have to be Napoleon himself who broke up the couple.

After the dinner, Solovyov was also invited to stay at Mr. Patterson's house, where there were enough rooms.

"Thank you, Mr. Patterson. We just met for the first time and your hospitality is so warm."

"Coming to Maryland, it feels like home to you. Mike, you will be going back soon, so maybe we can keep in touch for a long time. I am even interested in communicating with your father. After all, we are both businessmen, and it is not appropriate to discuss business matters with a soldier."

"Yes. The wine in your house is good, but I can only drink a limited amount."

"But you like my dishes very much, which is good. It proves that you like our place very much."

"Perhaps I can help you in the future. In St. Petersburg we are researching steam-powered ships and vehicles, and in the future we will build railways in the United States."

"Ah, you only drank a little rum, that's all. Don't drink more next time."

"Yes, that's not good for the liver. I know medical skills."

"Yes, and you frightened Betsy at the dinner table."

"Betsy?"

"My daughter Elizabeth, whom I call Betsey, and the boy calls Eliza."

"I also know this special name. The famous painter Madame Le Brun calls her daughter Brunette, just like that."

"Well, it's time for you to rest. I hope you can come to Baltimore again."

Speaking of which, if we talk about business, Baron Sergei is about the same age as Mr. Carroll. Although Solovyov doesn't want his father to travel far to the United States, he will come if there is really a hanging rope that can be sold at a good price.

After all, their family came from working as butlers for Prince Menshikov and as profiteers in Arkhangelsk, so they definitely have this kind of sense.

As for American slavery, even if a group of slave owners submitted bills all day long, abolition had to be resolved through a civil war. As for racial discrimination, it has been an unsolvable problem.

Then the American solution
Regardless of this, Solovyov got to know quite a few famous local figures in Baltimore.

After all, all Americans are like this. After hearing about Solovyov's resume, these rich people are willing to make friends with him even though he is so young.

Mr. Patterson even thought that this young man had some prospects. At a young age, he had served as a battalion commander of the guards and aide-de-camp to the Tsar himself. He had more prospects than his son-in-law Jerome, who had a position in the navy thanks to his brother who was the First Consul.

Of course, he had never imagined that his daughter and son-in-law would be forced to divorce. If Miss Patterson had followed her husband to Paris, perhaps her ambitions would have been satisfied.

She was really suited to the kind of occasions in Paris, and she had even learned how to do it in Baltimore.

But for Solovyov, what he cared more about was how to pack up Jerome and his wife and send them to France.

This guy was really popular with women in his life. He married three wives and had even more lovers.

Except for Louis who fell ill in Egypt and the money-loving Elisa, the rest of the Bonaparte family seemed to share the same template in terms of relationships between men and women: they were all very lustful.

He wasn't quite sure about Polina's condition, but it was almost time for her to give birth.

As for the fact that he always encounters this kind of high-end "Where Are We Going, Dad?" game, it is really laughable.

Polina is in good health and gave birth to a son in Paris
When Prince Camillo Borghese opened his child's eyes, he saw eyes very similar to his wife's, so he relaxed his guard. However, he could not avoid becoming a father this time, and he was quite happy.

But the date of the child's birth was somewhat funny: April 1804, 4, which was not easy to remember according to the Republican calendar.

It was not surprising that Prince Borghese named this child Leonardo.

It just sounds like we're playing a word chain game using Napoleon's name.

Napoleon was very happy about the birth of this child. After all, having a son in a marriage is a good thing in aristocratic marriage and can serve as a bond to maintain the marriage.

Even if Paulina is still so ridiculous, on the one hand, we have to consider the child's face, and on the other hand, there is a representative of Pope Pius VII presiding over the matter, so the result should not be too bad.

Of course, Solovyov was still in Baltimore at the moment, preparing to play some mischief on his way back to Europe.

Although he did not target Jerome, he was still thinking about doing something in London.

(End of this chapter)